How to spot a fake job offer

Updated 2026-10-03

Job scams copy the look of real vacancies, so a professional-looking advert proves very little. What gives them away is what they ask you to do. These are the warning signs worth knowing.

Red flags in the advert or message

• You are asked to pay anything: an application fee, a training fee, a background check, equipment, a visa or a “guarantee”. Real employers do not charge applicants.
• The pay is far above what the role normally earns, or the job needs no skills or experience.
• The recruiter moves the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram or text messages very quickly, or interviews you only by chat.
• The email comes from a free address (Gmail, Yahoo and similar) while claiming to be a large company, or from a domain that is almost, but not quite, the real company’s.
• You are offered the job without a proper interview, or after a very short one.
• The details are vague: no clear duties, no named manager, no company address.
• You are pressured to decide or pay today.

Things they ask for that you should not give

• Bank or mobile money login details, PINs, or one-time codes.
• Copies of your passport or national ID, or a photo of you holding it, before you have a signed contract from a company you have checked.
• Permission to receive money into your account and pass it on. That is money laundering, and you can be held responsible.
• Payment for software or equipment that they promise to reimburse. Sometimes they send a cheque or transfer first, then ask you to send some back; the original payment is later cancelled and you lose the money.

Five checks that take ten minutes

1. Find the company yourself and open its own website. Look for the same job on its careers page.
2. Compare the email domain with the company’s real domain, letter by letter.
3. Search the company name together with the word “scam” or “fraud”, and search for the recruiter’s name.
4. Contact the company using a phone number or email you found on its official site, not the one in the message, and ask if the role exists.
5. Ask for the offer and contract in writing, and read it. Pressure to skip this step is itself a warning sign.

If something feels wrong, stop. A real employer will wait while you check. If you have already paid or shared details, see “What to do if you have been scammed”.